Please visit our DigMountZion.uncc.edu website for full information on how to participate.

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Those interested in participating in 2018 will find information posted here on September 1st. We ask that participants stay for a minimum of two weeks digging, and we encourage everyone to join us for the interim week as well. Many of our participants stay for four or five weeks.

We dig Sunday through Thursday (6 am to 1 pm) on our dig weeks with Friday and Saturdays off, so there is plenty of time to explore Jerusalem or take day trips to other sites. During the interim week participants will attend free lectures and tour the country with our staff, from the Galilee to the Dead Sea. The tours are priced at cost and there is no dig fee during the interim week.

There are two options for participation, one for U.S. college or university students offering academic credit through UNC Charlotte, the other for anyone who wants to join us without credit, whether student or not. The Mount Zion excavation is run as a field school and all team members receive specialized training from the directors and area supervisors as part of their participation. No prior archaeological experience is required and participants of all backgrounds and interests are welcome.

Student Option with Academic Credit: UNC Charlotte students, undergraduate or graduate, as well as students at any accredited U.S. college or university can also apply to be part of the UNC Charlotte Education Abroad group and receive 3 semester hours academic transfer credit, undergraduate or graduate, in Religious Studies or History. This program runs for three weeks during the 1st Session and includes the interim week of touring and lectures Professors James D. Tabor and Robert McEachnie are the joint instructors for the course. The price includes course tuition, the dig fees, room and board, some meals, and all touring costs.

Non-Student Option: Each year we welcome dozens of participants from all over the world, of all ages, who join us for a minimum of two weeks. New applicants pay a $500 dig fee per two-week session; returning participants pay a $400 dig fee per two-week session–with no dig fee for the interim week. Those staying longer than three weeks, which we encourage, pay a $200 per-week additional dig fee. Participants pay their own flights and ground expenses.